TY - JOUR
T1 - Radiation mechanisms and geometry of cygnus X-1 in the soft state
AU - Gierliński, Marek
AU - Zdziarski, Andrzej A.
AU - Poutanen, Juri
AU - Coppi, Paolo S.
AU - Ebisawa, Ken
AU - Johnson, W. Neil
PY - 1999/10/21
Y1 - 1999/10/21
N2 - We present X-ray/γ-ray spectra of Cyg X-1 observed during the transition from the hard to the soft state and in the soft state by ASCA, RXTE and CGRO/OSSE in 1996 May and June. The spectra consist of a dominant soft component below ∼2keV and a power-law-like continuum extending to at least ∼800 keV. We interpret them as emission from an optically thick, cold accretion disc and from an optically thin, non-thermal corona above the disc. A fraction f ≳ 0.5 of total available power is dissipated in the corona. We model the soft component by multicolour blackbody disc emission taking into account the torque-free inner-boundary condition. If the disc extends down to the minimum stable orbit, the ASCA/RXTE data yield the most probable black hole mass of MX ≈ 10 M⊙ and an accretion rate, Ṁ ≈ 0.5LE/c2, locating Cyg X-1 in the soft state in the upper part of the stable, gas-pressure-dominated, accretion-disc solution branch. The spectrum of the corona is well modelled by repeated Compton scattering of seed photons from the disc off electrons with a hybrid, thermal/non-thermal distribution. The electron distribution can be characterized by a Maxwellian with an equilibrium temperature of kTe ∼ 30-50 keV, a Thomson optical depth of τ ∼ 0.3 and a quasi-power-law tail. The compactness of the corona is 2 ≲ ℓh ≲ 7, and a presence of a significant population of electron-positron pairs is ruled out.We find strong signatures of Compton reflection from a cold and ionized medium, presumably an accretion disc, with an apparent reflector solid angle, Ω/2π ∼ 0.5-0.7. The reflected continuum is accompanied by a broad iron Ka line.
AB - We present X-ray/γ-ray spectra of Cyg X-1 observed during the transition from the hard to the soft state and in the soft state by ASCA, RXTE and CGRO/OSSE in 1996 May and June. The spectra consist of a dominant soft component below ∼2keV and a power-law-like continuum extending to at least ∼800 keV. We interpret them as emission from an optically thick, cold accretion disc and from an optically thin, non-thermal corona above the disc. A fraction f ≳ 0.5 of total available power is dissipated in the corona. We model the soft component by multicolour blackbody disc emission taking into account the torque-free inner-boundary condition. If the disc extends down to the minimum stable orbit, the ASCA/RXTE data yield the most probable black hole mass of MX ≈ 10 M⊙ and an accretion rate, Ṁ ≈ 0.5LE/c2, locating Cyg X-1 in the soft state in the upper part of the stable, gas-pressure-dominated, accretion-disc solution branch. The spectrum of the corona is well modelled by repeated Compton scattering of seed photons from the disc off electrons with a hybrid, thermal/non-thermal distribution. The electron distribution can be characterized by a Maxwellian with an equilibrium temperature of kTe ∼ 30-50 keV, a Thomson optical depth of τ ∼ 0.3 and a quasi-power-law tail. The compactness of the corona is 2 ≲ ℓh ≲ 7, and a presence of a significant population of electron-positron pairs is ruled out.We find strong signatures of Compton reflection from a cold and ionized medium, presumably an accretion disc, with an apparent reflector solid angle, Ω/2π ∼ 0.5-0.7. The reflected continuum is accompanied by a broad iron Ka line.
KW - Accretion, accretion discs
KW - Gamma-rays: observations
KW - Gamma-rays: theory
KW - Radiation mechanisms: non-thermal
KW - Stars: individual: Cygnus X-1
KW - X-rays: stars
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0038702448&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.1999.02875.x
DO - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.1999.02875.x
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0038702448
VL - 309
SP - 496
EP - 512
JO - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
JF - Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
SN - 0035-8711
IS - 2
ER -